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Rook's Rest
Rook's Rest is a Fortified Estate centered around a tower keep built upon the ruins of Tower Hill in the March of Dale in the Barony of Brendoak. 'Location' Rook’s Rest is located upon the ruins of a watchtower located three miles north-west of the town of Ember Dale (Small Town), the seat of the small March of Dale. The old ruin lies atop a solitary rise called “tower hill ” by many within the area and is a well-known though ruined landmark. The hill lies approximately a quarter-mile east of Westmyr Lake, a sizable body of water, and a quarter mile from the edge of a bronzewood forest to the north. The hill lies roughly a half-mile west from the Brindle River with the Oak Road about a quarter of a mile from the river and the broken remains of an old stone wall another quarter of a mile west of that. Rook's Rest's position within the March of Dale places it in the North West corner of the Barony of Brendoak. 'Features' *'Blackstone Wall: '''The broken wall fragments that lie approximately a quarter of a mile west of the Oak Road straddle the Rook Road that leads to Tower Hill. The wall appears to be little more than ruined fragments roughly three to five feet wide in places that stretch for a few dozen yards at a time. From the top of newly constructed tower one can see that the wall fragments once formed a perfectly shaped octagon nearly half a mile across with the hill at its center. category=Feature category=Rook's Rest Setting The story of Rook's Rest starts just a year after the conclusion of the Western Goblin War in 575 KR. This is a time during the Great Silence when the Templars of Arn would rather hunt for heretics and witches than lend their forces to the defence of the land. Though alchemy and apothecary elixirs can cure ailment and infirmity on occasion, such skills and knowledge rarely are seen away from the largest human cities. History Prior to Toman's occupation of the ruins, the empty tower was little more than a landmark on the the Oak Road as one entered the Barony of Brendoak from the north. As it was pointed out to Toman, "The tower is good for nothing but a home for crows." Any commoner who lived in the March of Dale (where the ruined tower was located) would tell you that crows or ravens (they never got too close to find out which it was) were -always- there. If you dared approach the place (as many a young man might to prove his bravery to his friends) the crows would squawk and shout down at you from a top the tower and if you dared to climb the hill, they would all launch themselves into the air and swirl around the tower as though protecting it. Reconstruction The lands surrounding Tower Hill were purchased by the magus Toman Rook, a commoner who, through his magic and service to the Barony of Brendoak was created as a Knight by Baron Makon Baelyn at the conclusion of the Goblin Wars. When he was knighted, the Baron said that he would be given a small portion of land to rule within his barony. Toman decided to pick a small plot of land in the March of Dale near a ruined watch tower on Tower Hill. It was at the western-most corner of the march and Toman hoped to extend the march (the smallest of the barony) by clearing additional land towards the foothills of the Shield Mountains. Relations *March of Dale: The Master of Rook's Rest is on generally friendly relations with the March of Dale in general. It is the only Fortified Estate within the march. Economics Resources The lands around Rook's Rest are abundant with natural resources that the estate uses in its operation and occasionally to sell for profit. The small forest of Bronzewood trees to the north is harvested sparingly so as not to deplete the rare wood. Crops Rook's Rest has three main food crops that it harvests: corn, barley and apples. In addition to these it also gathers two cash crops: Anado and Wash Weed, both from Westmyr Lake. From the apples gathered from the many trees around Tower Hill they produce apple cider, hard cider and vinegar. Corn is milled into flour but also fed to the hogs to fatten them up for a harvest slaughter. The barley is divided between milled as flour, left whole for cooking and then for brewing ale. In addition to the regular crops, the Master of Rook's Rest has set several bee boxes around the corn and barley fields. The honey from which is often used in the creation of mead, apothecary items and in cooking. Gardens The land within the enclosed walls is often dotted with small garden plots to raise food and medicine for the estate. The gardens will often grow things like vegetables and cooking herbs for the kitchen (Pepper Weed is a common plant) and some medicinal plants like Gold Clover, Marny and Fire Fern. 'Layout' \Rook's Rest has an octagonal wall surrounding the tower hill. Within its boundaries the Master has built two halls upon opposite sides of the courtyard; a common hall with servant's quarters above and a harvest hall with barracks above. There are two gates along the octagonal wall, one leading south to the Oak Road and another leading west to Westmyr Lake. Oak Road Set on either side of the road that extends from the Oak Road to the gate (called the Rook Road) are a pair of tall, stone raven statues set upon tower-like pestles. In the beaks of both crows are iron lanterns set with crystals enchanted with Light spells. They are about ten feet or so away from the gate to give some illumination for the night watch. The statues are nearly nine feet tall in total carved from a black stone. The Rook Road crosses the Oak Road and travels onward to the Brindle River to where a simple dock was constructed when stones were being ferried along the river to the construction site. As of the first Harvest End the dock had not been improved beyond the basic requirements to unload stone. The Master of Rook's Rest had planned to set a pair of raven statues, complete with the lanterns, by the docks once they were rebuilt. South Gate There is no barbican to limit entrance to the court yard but there is a two-doored, wooden gate with a portcullis that can be lowered upon attack. Two, two-story buildings extend forward on either side of the gate like watch towers. The buildings are long halls (of a sort) that create a gate house with the exterior walls creating a guarded cooridor with a gate at both ends. Outside of the gates and set on either side of the road that extends from the Oak Road to the gate (called the Rook Road) are a pair of tall, stone raven statues set upon tower-like pestles. In the beaks of both crows are iron lanterns set with crystals enchanted with Light spells. They are about ten feet or so away from the gate to give some illumination for the night watch.The statues are nearly nine feet tall in total carved from a black stone. Court Yard As one enters the south gate, two buildings sit on either side of the gate and create a long corridor that one must pass through to enter the court yard. These two, long and rectangular buildings extend beyond the wall to flank the gate. These serve as day rooms for the guards with armories above each. They are stocked with barrells of arrows kept within the second floor rooms for the archers to repell any frontal assault. West Gate'' As one levaes the west gate of the estate, a road stretches to the edge of Westmyr Lake. A series of March Houses have been built on either side within a comfortable distance of the gate for the tradesmen who worked upon the reconstruction of the tower and new walled enclosure. As of Harvest End, the master mason, head carpenter and smith had all taken houses along the road and began a small community called simply "west gate". They were given the homes rent free for the first year as they were not completed until the end of autumn. They would not need to pay the Master rent until the following autumn. Category:North Marches Category:Settlement Category:Dale Category:Estate Category:Fortification Category:Wyclan Category:Tower-Hall